The G8 summit in Lough Erne has been a curiously flat affair, but David
Cameron is right to stress its importance

The G8 conference in Northern Ireland was constructed, perhaps deliberately, in the image of its host. Instead of visionary statements and passionate rhetoric, there was a calculated blend of pragmatism, populism, consensus-building and studied – if awkward – informality.

David Cameron and his guests focused on what the Prime Minister called the three Ts: tax, trade and transparency (he then added a fourth: terrorism). To that end, there were worthwhile, if limited, announcements on a number of fronts. The “Lough Erne Declaration” highlighted the virtues of free trade, openness and fair taxation, and pledged to ensure that the developing world is not defrauded of its riches. Negotiations over a long-awaited EU-US trade deal will finally go ahead, which could bring enormous benefits to both sides. Ransom payments that fund extremists will be curbed; there will be more help for Libya; Russia and the US will cooperate further in securing and destroying surplus nuclear material; and a communiqué was agreed over Syria that sets out a blueprint for a post-Assad regime, incorporating all of the main factions and ethnic groups, although rather less was said about how this happy state of affairs will be brought about.

While these measures are welcome, there was nevertheless a curious feel to the summit, and not just because of the Potemkin shopfronts erected in Enniskillen or the complacency of the tieless, jacketed figures who gave their self-congratulatory press conferences. It was such a flat affair that even the anti-capitalists who normally turn the G8 into a circus seemed to have lost their motivation, save for a bizarre excursion in a Viking longboat. Perhaps this is because those attending knew in advance that Russian intransigence – and unease among their own voters – would prevent any drastic action over Syria. Or because a summit that includes the prickly Vladimir Putin (as well as two representatives from the European Union) but excludes the world’s rising power, China, seems an increasingly peculiar cockpit for global governance.

The temptation, therefore, is to feel that the G8 has become primarily a chance for world leaders to massage each others’ egos. Yet, as Mr Cameron said in his closing remarks, it is better for them to meet than not – and the agreements reached would have taken far longer without such face-to-face encounters. While it will take much hard graft to turn the fine talk on tax transparency into genuine action, the EU-US trade deal is certainly something that could make a real and welcome difference to voters’ lives. If it can be completed, it will make the hoopla and expense of hosting such a global beanfeast more than worthwhile.